Chase
by Misfit Writer
Summary: The brothers pick up their search for The Demon with only one bullet left in the Colt, and only their instincts and Sam's visions to help them, until a young woman needs their help, hunting the same thing with reasons of her own.
1. The road to Recovery

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own Supernatural or anything that looks familiar. The people you don't recognize are mine. I still don't get why we have to do this if it's fanfiction anyway. Oye.

**Summary:** Dean and Sam continue on their search for the demon that killed their mom and Jess. With only one bullet left in the Colt, and their dad off on his own again, they have to rely on Sam's visions and their gut instincts to find the thing that had taken them 22 years to locate before, until they are led to a young woman with her own reasons to kill the demon. Can the three of them figure out a way to take out the demon that has haunted all of their lives without hurting one of their own?

**A/N:** Okay, so I'm really trying to keep this from looking like a MarySue, so if it starts to do that, please let me know! This is set post Devil's Trap, and the first chapter's kinda just brotherly love and introduction to the story. It's kinda short, but I just needed to give a bit of background. Action starts next chapter.

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**Chapter 1: The Road to Recovery**

Dean sighed, sitting heavily on the edge of his bed and dropping his head into his hands. Even after three weeks of relaxing, he was still having trouble getting his energy back up. Sam was still refusing to let them go on another hunt, so they had actually stayed in the same place since they'd gotten out of the hospital. Bobby had taken them in, and even started to work on salvaging the Impala.

It was still hard to think about the past three weeks. Hell, it was hard to think about the past month and a half. Dean had been unconscious for three weeks after the accident, a mix of blood loss and head injury keeping him from returning to the world of the living. Until he woke up, all he could remember was seeing his mother, who told him that Sam needed him. That was all it took to encourage Dean to fight against the tempting draw of death. After that, he remembered hearing Sam's voice pleading with him to live. When he finally awoke, their father was long gone, without having said goodbye to his eldest son.

"Dean, you okay?" Sam questioned softly. pulling his brother from his thoughts. Dean looked up and saw that Sam was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. His concern made him look young and vulnerable, and Dean hated being the cause of that.

He pushed himself up to his feet, and forced a smile. "Yeah, Sammy, I'm great. Just having a little bit of trouble waking up, that's all."

Sam stepped into the room, his hands falling to his side. "Don't push yourself too hard, man. The doctor said it'd be-"

"A few months before I was completely back on my feet, I know. Don't worry so much, okay, bro? That's my job." He padded past Sam, heading for the bathroom. He didn't miss the once-over that Sam gave him as he walked by.

"When you're still as pale as you are, I can't help but worry. You know that," Sam murmured. Dean halted in his steps, and turned to his brother, a reassuring smile on his face.

"Yeah, I know, Sammy. But I'm okay, I promise." He squeezed Sam's shoulder before turning to continue his trek.

"It's_ Sam,_ by the way."

Dean couldn't help but laugh, relieved that Sam was relaxed enough to joke around again. It had been a long time since he'd been corrected like that. A thought hit him, and he turned back. "By the way, how's my baby coming along?"

Sam grinned. "She's almost good as new. A few more parts, a new paint job, and she'll be ready to ride again." Dean nodded with a smile, and closed the door. Sam smiled, shaking his head, and headed downstairs to help Bobby some more with the Impala.

He knew part of Dean's new quiet, withdrawn behavior was because he was afraid he was going to lose his car, so he knew from the moment he heard that she wasn't totaled that he would do whatever it took to get her back on the road, with Dean behind the wheel. He never quite understood his brother's connection to that car, but that didn't matter if it would help get his brother back.

--

"Hey Dean, get your lazy ass down here!" Sam yelled up the stairs. He smiled at Bobby's snicker, and joined in when he heard Dean's mumbled retort. A few minutes passed before the elder Winchester brother was stumbling sleepily down the stairs. "It's about damn time," Sam teased.

Dean sent a halfhearted glare his way, before rubbing more sleep out of his eyes. "Why are you getting me up this early, Sammy?"

Sam glanced at the clock on the wall. "For one, it's 12:30. For two, look out front."

The sudden alertness in Dean's eyes brought a pleased grin to Sam's face, and he chuckled softly as his big brother scrambled for the door. "You...she...I...oh...Sammy, Bobby, thank you, thank you,_ thank you_!" he exclaimed, before rushing out to inspect his baby.

Sam looked over at Bobby, his arms crossing over his chest, and nodded. "Thank you so much, Bobby. I really don't know what Dean would've done if he'd lost his car."

Bobby patted Sam on his shoulder encouragingly. "You're welcome." He turned towards the kitchen, before hesitating and turning back. "He would've been okay, though. He would've hurt for a while, but as long as he's got you, Dean can take _anything _life may throw at him. You are the most important thing in his life, Sam; you keep him together." He continued when he noticed the surprised look on Sam's face. "What did you think kept him fighting, kept him alive after that damned demon nearly killed him?"

Sam was completely speechless as Bobby left him alone in the doorway. He turned to watch his brother, climbing in behind the wheel if his precious Impala. He could already see the confidence returning to Dean in the subtle straightening of his back as he gripped the wheel. Sam hadn't ever thought about what might have kept Dean fighting for his life after he'd flatlined for a moment at the hospital. He'd never really wanted to think about losing his brother...his rock, so he'd never thought of the fact that Dean would've needed a reason to fight to live.

"Sammy, you gonna stare all day, or are you gonna come out here and come for a ride with me?" the elder Winchester brother yelled.

The younger brother grinned. He yelled back to Bobby to let him know that they were leaving, and bounded down the stairs off the porch, and around to the passenger side of the Impala. "Home sweet home, eh? How's it feel to be back behind the wheel?"

"Damn good," Dean answered, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks, Sammy."

Sam rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "No chick-flick moments, remember? And how many times do I have to tell you, it's _Sam_."

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So, what'd you think? Please please please let me know! I'm going to be writing a one-shot, maybe two-shot of Dean telling Bobby about seeing his mom when he flatlined, so keep an eye out for that! 


	2. Interception

So I decided that I really needed to rewrite the meeting here…wait to bring the Demon in later on. It's a bit too early, and I like this way better. More fun. Let me know what you think…I hope you like it! Hopefully now that I'm back on track I'll be able to update soon!

**Disclamer: **If I owned it, it wouldn't be _fanfiction_. It would be tv. Oye.

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Chapter 2: Interception 

Sam groaned softly, startling Dean. The elder Winchester brother glanced over at his passenger, and grew concerned. They had only been driving around for 45 minutes, listening to Dan's "mullet rock" and just reveling in the familiarity of the moment. "Sammy? You okay, man?"

"I-I think it's…another vision," Sam ground out, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes in a futile attempt to alleviate the pain.

Dean hit the steering wheel with an open hand. "Damn it, don't we ever get a second to _breathe_!" He pulled over to the shoulder, and jumped out of the Impala, not even bothering to shut her off. He ran around to Sam's side, jerking the door open and easing his brother out of the seat. "Can't have you ruinin' the upholstery," he teased lightly, masking his concern.

Sam took his older brother's proffered hand, accepting the help to get on his knees. He was mildly surprised when Dean didn't relinquish his grip. Instead, he tightened his grip reassuringly and began to rub his back comfortingly.

Dean waited on bated breath for Sam's vision to pass. He knew that the intense pain associated with these things, mixed with the sheer exhaustion from the past two months, would likely result in Sam losing whatever food he had in his stomach.

He wasn't disappointed. When Sam began to get sick, Dean's hand slowed on his brother's back, offering what little extra comfort he could, until the youngest Winchester finally wiped his mouth in disgust. Dean released his hold on Sam's hand and grabbed one of the small water bottles that Bobby had forced him to carry around. Sam took it gratefully, rinsing his mouth out several times.

"What did you see?" Dean questioned softly, knowing that it was better not to bring up the fact that he'd just thrown up and that Dean had been comforting him the way he had. That moment would most likely be filed under "chick-flick-moments", only to be brought up again as blackmail.

Sam groaned softly as Dean helped him back into the passenger's seat. "A woman, looked about your age, pinned against a wall…by something invisible. I could see the sleeve of some black coat or robe." He looked over at his brother, who was jumping back in behind the wheel. "We've gotta get there. Now!"

"Where?"

"Well, I saw a University of Delaware pennant on the wall, and the address on some mail on the floor next to her was a Delaware address."

"_Delaware?_ We've got to go to _Delaware?_" Dean sighed. "What time is it?"

Sam glanced at his watch. "Uh, quarter after one."

"What time of day was it in the vision?"

"Nighttime."

Dean sighed. "Well, hopefully we have time to get there, but since we have until nightfall, we should be okay. We've just gotta haul ass, that's all. The time difference is gonna hurt us. First we've gotta stop at Bobby's, let him know what's going on, and get a definite location of the house." The brothers were silent for a moment, lost in their own thoughts and fears. "Hey Sam?"

The young man in question turned his head slightly. "Yeah Dean?" he questioned tiredly.

"Was she hot?" Sam couldn't hold back a snort at his brother's antics, but chose not to answer, much to Dean's dismay. "Aw, c'mon! Was she!"

--

Rowan Ericson headed into the basement of her lonely house, careful not to spill her reheated cup of day-old coffee on the wooden stairs. There was a new website with her name on it; she'd probably be up all night researching after stumbling across the page.

The moment her foot hit the carpeted basement floor, a wall of tension froze her. Fear stole her breath, and she had to consciously tighten her grip on her mug so that she didn't drop it.

She wasn't alone.

As soon as she was next to the end table that rested next to the stairwell, the mug came to a safe stop silently before Rowan reached behind her. The weight of her .45 felt safe as she tugged it out of her jeans. "Whoever you are, come out and face me. Only cowards hide from a girl who's home alone," she called across the room, facing her intruder's hiding spot.

When a well-built, handsome man – who looked to be about her age – stood from behind her computer, she tensed. He held a gun out in a peace gesture. Her eyes narrowed while she sized him up. Her senses began to pick up a different presence

Rowan noticed the incredibly slight change in the man's stance, and knew the other presence was right behind her. Quickly, she threw an elbow back, connecting with a solid form. The 'oof' that came as a result was satisfying. Before her assailant could recover, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it so that he was in front of her with his shoulder corkscrewed nearly to the point of dislocation. A gun dropped harmlessly out of the taller man's hand and landed with a dull thud on the ground.

She pointed her gun at the first man when she felt a struggle. "Don't move, or I will shoot your buddy! What the hell do you want?!" she snapped in his ear.

"We're here to talk!" the first man responded urgently, holding both hands out now, trying to get her to calm down. "Just let him go." He lifted his finger away from the trigger of his own Glock handgun.

"Yeah, okay, because I'm gonna let some would-be attacker go," she retorted sharply. "Who are you?"

Another step redirected her gun's aim to the temple of the man still trapped in her grip. The shorter man froze in his tracks. "We're here to help. Just hear us out. Let. Him. Go." A dangerous tone accented the last three words. Her eyebrow raised curiously. "Please just release him. I'll put my gun down first, if you want." She nodded, and he slowly complied, avoiding sudden movements so as to not startle her.

Rowan shoved the man away from her, following him with her gun and stepping meaningfully towards them. The shorter man caught the taller one as he stumbled, gripping his shoulder. "Start talking. Who are you?"

"We're-"

Rowan winced and raised a hand to her temple when a sharp stab of pain raced through her head. "Damnit," she muttered when it didn't go away. Of all the times for this to happen…

"What's wrong?" the taller man questioned softly, stepping forward with concern. Instantly she took a step backwards, away from him. The movement tilted the earth beneath her, and she was afraid she was going to collapse.

"Don't touch me. I'm fine…" she hissed through clenched teeth. When a wave of even stronger pain washed over her, Rowan stumbled back and fell into an easy chair. "_Damnit!_ Why now?!" she breathed, trying to keep the images from her head. She was afraid that this would leave her vulnerable and open to the two intruders; last time that happened in the middle of a fight, her only remaining family was taken from her.

The last thing she saw before being jerked out of reality was the taller, younger-looking man rushing forward to catch her as she collapsed.

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_The only sounds in the rooms were sounds of struggle. Rowan and the two intruders were all pinned to different walls. A tall man faced Rowan, his eyes yellow and his grin terrifying. He was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear him over the magnified sounds of the two others trying to free themselves from the invisible grasp. Agony suddenly took over all of her senses, and she felt warm, sticky liquid dripping down her shirt. She didn't have to look down to know that she was bleeding…a lot. She couldn't move to look down even if she wanted to anyway; her entire body was pinned back against the wall. She knew exactly what was attacking her. She'd seen it far too many times to doubt it. She'd seen the damned thing take away too many of her loved ones to ever forget those God-forsaken eyes._

--

As quickly as the vision had hit her, it was gone. She tightened her eyes against the pain, trying to ride the waves until they were gone, the way she usually did. She vaguely heard voices, but she ignored them until she could open her eyes again.

"Which one of you has visions?" she questioned suddenly, apparently surprising her unwanted guests as well. They shared a tense look, and Rowan couldn't help but notice the way the shorter man stepped protectively in front of the taller one. There's her answer…

"How-"

"I had one about myself. I never have one about me, unless I'm intercepting it, which I tend to do a lot when I'm around other psychics. So, I'm gonna say it's you?" she questioned to the taller man. Again, both of them tensed. "Who the hell are you two?"

"I'm Sam…that's Dean."

Shock hit her even harder than the vision itself had. "Winchester?!" she questioned disbelievingly. They both nodded uneasily. "It's about time! I've been looking for you Winchesters for years…at least my family has."

Dean raised a questioning eyebrow. "Why?"

Rowan sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "I need your help."

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So, what do you guys think? IS this better than the first version, or should I go back to that one? Just let me know. Most of the rest of the story from here on out will be from Dean or Sam's perspective. I'm trying to keep it focused on Rowan as little as possible. 


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